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Mark Richards
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John Alderman
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Core Memory: A Visual Survey of Vintage Computers Hardcover – May 10, 2007

by John Alderman (Author), Mark Richards (Photographer), Dag Spicer (Foreword)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 80 ratings
See all formats and editions
An unprecedented combination of computer history and striking images, Core Memory reveals modern technology's evolution through the world's most renowned computer collection, the Computer History Museum in the Silicon Valley. Vivid photos capture these historically important machinesincluding the Eniac, Crays 13, Apple I and IIwhile authoritative text profiles each, telling the stories of their innovations and peculiarities. Thirty-five machines are profiled in over 100 extraordinary color photographs, making Core Memory a surprising addition to the library of photography collectors and the ultimate geek-chic gift.
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  1. Print length
    160 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Chronicle Books
  4. Publication date
    May 10, 2007
  5. Grade level
    8 and up
  6. Reading age
    13 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    9.25 x 0.88 x 11.25 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0811854426
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0811854429
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Richards's work has been featured in numerous publications. He lives in California

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books; First Edition (May 10, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0811854426
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0811854429
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.25 x 0.88 x 11.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 80 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Mark Richards

    Mark Richards

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Joined the Navy at 17, I figured Ho Chi Minh was safer than my Step Mother. I was in Photo Intelligence. I did two tours of duty off Vietnam, the second one involved evacuations, Cambodia and Vietnam (1975) I left the service in 1976 to attend college.

    I graduated in 1982 with a BA degree.

    In 1983 the song of Asia blew in my ear once more. I was led to Burma first, coved a war there, survived barely. Then worked with Catholic Relief Services to document all their refugee camps.Got a tip, went to Afghanistan covered the war there, on foot and horseback. Went 500 miles tracking down one of the leaders of the Mujahedin, Ahmad Shah Massoud, in his fight against the USSR . Published in Time magazine.

    Returned to America broke and without money.

    Got a job at a newspaper got married, got kids. Moved to freelancing with national magazines, moved to San Francisco, then moved to Marin county. Did stories on the streets with gangs around the world fishing tuna, and in the poverty of Haiti. Took up trail running.

    Saw the world of silicon valley change through the 80’s the 90’s the DotCom era.

    Did a book on the fleeting beauty of the beginnings of the computer age, CORE MEMORY.

    It is a photographic art book.

    Divorced, retired, got older, disease followed.

    Got a rare form of cancer, got a rare surgeon, got radiation.

    Still ran trails

    Documented my own treatment, published in the New York Times.

    Currently working on Graphic Novel .

    His work has been chosen 14 times to appear in the Communication Arts Photography Annual. He lives in San Rafael, California, and is proud to be a geek.

    See more on the author's page
  2. John Alderman

    John Alderman

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
80 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book has great photos and is a good value for money. They describe it as a nice souvenir and a great gift for collectors. However, some customers feel the information lacks clarity and consistency.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Photo qualityValue for moneyGift valueInformation quality
6 customers mention "Photo quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers like the photo quality. They say the photographs are astounding and huge.

"Great pictures !... if you are a lover of vintage computers you will definitely find a lot of pleasure as you browse over the pages of this book...." Read more

"...The photos are huge and of great quality. It looks like they found the cleanest, best kept examples of each machine...." Read more

"...picture of a PDP-8 like mine and because of the high resolution photos of vintage computer equipment...." Read more

"Fascinating, detailed photos of computers from the days of mainframes. The pictures within the covers are excellent. I recommend it." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides good value for money. It's a clean copy at a reasonable price.

"...some of the pages, but it was a nice, clean copy at a good price value for overall cost." Read more

"...On it's own it's a great book, and well worth the money. But the computer-nerd in me sees the potential of this content..." Read more

"...printed correctly and clean, it is a beautiful book and a bargain at the Amazon sale price...." Read more

"It's a great book for it's price. Really great photos that lie somewhere between technical and art. There is text but not too much...." Read more

4 customers mention "Gift value"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a nice souvenir and gift for collectors. It serves as a reminder of visits.

"...This book is a nice reminder of those visits." Read more

"This is a great gift for the geek on your Christmas list...." Read more

"...On that level, it's serves as a fine souvenir. It fails on all other fronts." Read more

"Nice book for collectors..." Read more

3 customers mention "Information quality"0 positive3 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the information quality. They find the terminology unclear, the illustrations lacking detail, and the entries inconsistent. The book lacks clarity and explanation for technical terms.

"...describing the vintage computers illustrated in the book are kind of lacking in detail...." Read more

"...Those entries use inconsistent terminology with no explanation of those terms, for example: ROM CORE ROPE, Transistor-Transistor Logic, Words, and..." Read more

"...Bottom line is that it is not anything more than that. Lacks a lot of information - especially on any technical level - and the pictures are of an..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Juan A. Martinez Canovas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice
    Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Fast shipment, nice delivered
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  • Agustin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great pictures!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Great pictures !... if you are a lover of vintage computers you will definitely find a lot of pleasure as you browse over the pages of this book. Not too much detail in terms of the history or architecture of the computers that were included, but you will find a lot of joy exploring the details in the images. I'm sure not even those working with these machines had a chance to contemplate the fine touches, but here you can.
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  • CuriouslyYours
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great item and price, but packaging was not up to the task.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Proper packaging of books requires corrugated cardboard, not flimsy, thin plastic with bubblewrap. The hardback cover corners were "bumped" and bent as were some of the pages, but it was a nice, clean copy at a good price value for overall cost.
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  • Robert Beard
    5.0 out of 5 stars Quick Shipment Book Arrived in Perfect Condition
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The shipping aspect of this purchase was perfect. The book itself, is a little disappointing. The captions describing the vintage computers illustrated in the book are kind of lacking in detail. Also, a coffee table book ought to be in a little bigger format that this one is. Overall, I'm happy with the book, though. I live near the Computer History Museum, and have seen most of these computers in person. This book is a nice reminder of those visits.
    Helpful
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  • Brian Ward
    5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely cool book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    This book is exactly what I hoped for. I bought it as a Christmas gift for a friend who appreciates things that are vintage and a little odd. The photos are huge and of great quality. It looks like they found the cleanest, best kept examples of each machine. Didn't have a chance to read the text, but the pictures alone were enough to make it worthwhile.
    Helpful
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  • Robert
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great conversation piece... for geeks.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great gift for the geek on your Christmas list. I'm and old computer scientist, and this book made it's round in the office among a number of engineering crew. (I know I'm an old computer geek when the second computer I programmed made page 2.

    Pictures are nicely done, great conversation piece... for geeks.
    Helpful
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  • S. Kosloske
    4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings about this book, but I am glad I own it.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    The book is a great overview of the history of commerical/military computer development in the last 60+ years. Hits most of the major models, and mentions why they're in the book. Each one was a special devleopment in it's time for one reason or another.

    But after reading it, I wish it was about 2x the size, physically. It's a large book alredy, but it should be art-sized. And it could EASILY be several hundreds of pages. I know it's more of an overview book, but it would be great if each model had it's own chapter, including design diagrams, pictures of the installations, programmers, builders, etc.

    On it's own it's a great book, and well worth the money. But the computer-nerd in me sees the potential of this content...
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Brian Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks for the Memories
    Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    It doesn't matter if your a PC Guy or a Mac Guy or a total Luddite, you've got to buy this book. Mark Richards photographs are archaeological gems of the most important technological creation of the last fifty years. Richards exposes the guts of the machine in a way few have ever seen and fewer still could imagine would be so beautiful.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Warren P.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Photography and an amazing work of art
    Reviewed in Canada on February 19, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I love this book. I'm a computer geek, and the history of computing is a passion for me. This book has pictures of early computing pioneer's early work, and where that is lost to the ravages of time, there are even a few "reconstructions" like the Z4 Adder by Zuse. I have never visited the computing history museum where most of these machines that were photographed live nowadays, but I sure would love to visit it.
    Report
  • Jim Moores
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic images
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Fantastic images. Also see the postcard book for similar.
    Report
  • Jens Kirchhoff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bildband in kompromissloser Qualität
    Reviewed in Germany on August 18, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    Die Fotos sind in Objekt, Perspektive und Ausschnitt sorgfältig ausgesucht, in Beleuchtung, Kontrast, Farbe und Auflösung bestens ausgeführt. Das Papier und der Farbdruck sind hervorragend. Besser geht es im Medium Buch nicht,.... ein Genuss. Die textlichen Informationen sind ebenfalls sehr interessant, decken aber nur an diesen wenigen Beispielen die Geschichte des Computers ab. Die Objekte betreffen die Anfänge des elektronischen Computerzeitalters, wo noch mit diskreten Bauelementen -zuerst ohne Chips- auf riesigen Platinen gelötet wurde.

    Betrachtet man das Buch als Bilderbuch, wird man nicht enttäuscht.
    Report
  • Nick
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    lovely book
    Report
  • radiophobicworkshop
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic visuals
    Reviewed in Canada on May 16, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This isn't an encyclopedia; don't expect a point by point history of computers. What this is is a collection of amazing photographs of some of the machines that helped get to the point we are at today.
    Report